Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1)

THERE were no foreign trained runners for the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile this year and it was the hometown queen, the 2019 Canadian Horse of the Year, Starship Jubilee, who continued her fine season.

She beat the boys in the CA$1 million feature at Woodbine and in doing so gained automatic entry the Breeders’ Cup.

The Kevin Attard-trained mare held off the rally of March To The Arch by a length under Justin Stein, while securing her second top-level win and became the third female, joining Tepin (2016) and Ventura (2009), to win the Grade 1 Mile as an all-aged race.

The 2019 Preakness Stakes and recent Grade 1 turf winner War Of Will was sent off as the 2/1 favourite but only finished third,

The seven-year-old daughter of Indy Wind, a son of A.P. Indy, was the oldest horse and had been claimed by her trainer for just $16,000 back in 2017. She has now earned over $2 million and a tally of 19 wins.

Top horse

“Just an unbelievable feeling. This mare doesn’t get the respect she deserves. She’s a winner of 19 races out of 38 starts.

“Time after time, she comes up and proves that she’s a top horse in North America,” Attard said afterwards.

Starship Jubilee was coming off a fourth in the Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga, her only loss in six starts in 2020.

She sat fourth early and as the field turned for home, Stein found an opening and gave her the signal to go.

“She’s so honest and wants to win more than anybody else out there. I watched her replays ... she’s just gritty.She just waited for her cue and took off like a scalded cat. She was gone,” Stein said.

War Of Will appeared to have no excuses, he just lacked pace in the final 300 yards and was three-quarters of a length back in third .

The final time for the mile was 1m32.06secs just 0.31 of a second off Wise Dan’s course record.

“I’m just going to enjoy the moment right now, but it’s obviously a special feeling to know that this race has produced so many horses that have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup,” Attard said on whether she would take up the Breeders’ Cup option.

Two-year-olds

There were also two Grade 1s for two-year-olds in Woodbine last Sunday.

Gretzky The Great took the Summer Stakes for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber, earning his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Ridden by Kazushi Kimura and trained by Mark Casse, the colt stalked the pace from the break and made his move as they turned into the stretch.

He moved on to go clear of his rivals, and despite hanging to the rail, he crossed the wire over three lengths in front.

The victory gave the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist a second Grade 1 winner in his first crop.

The Grade 1 Natalma Stakes went to Lady Speightspeare, a daughter of Speightstown, bred and owned by Charles E. Fipke, who also gained an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Lady Speightspeare stalked the pace, swept to the lead in the homestretch and held off Alda by three-quarters of a length.